They didn’t have 3-D projections, laser lights or massive stage props, but Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) brought plenty of energy, heart and even a little Motown soul to the Boulder Theater during their four-night residency in Colorado to celebrate the New Year. In addition to guest performers each night, the local bluegrass favorites picked and jammed through cover songs from different decades each night.
Thursday night, mandolin impresario Sam Bush joined the band in covering a number of 1960’s classics like The Rolling Stones’ tune “Jumping Jack Flash.” But it was fiddler Allie Kral’s soaring vocals that provided the first night’s highlights by belting out Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.”
New Year’s Eve highlighted 70’s classics like the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and a percussion-led version of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.”
Local fans went foot-stomping mad on Friday night when dobro master Jerry Douglas joined Yonder for a night of 80’s-themed tunes, including Black Sabbath’s “Crazy Train” and the Cyndi Lauper favorite, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Along with his trademark improvisational stylings, Douglas sported 80’s spirit by donning an oversized black wig.
Saturday night’s YMSB set was boosted by the presence of jazz guitarist Stanley Jordon. With dazzling and introspective fret work, he lent an introspective flair to 90’s-themed music that included old Yonder standards like “Hole” and covers like Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” Yonder Mountain String Band’s sound is as polished and vibrant as ever in its history even when the band reaches back into history to celebrate the future.
A quick return to Star Wars brought the lively “Cantina Theme” Garvey employed some dexterous finger-picking, while Derkak employed some effects pedals to mimic the familiar theme from Star Wars – A New Hope. Loughlin’s malletkat added to the feel of the song, giving the feel of being in the cantina itself.
Schnier’s coming-of-age song, “Mexico” came next. The teases into it from “Captain America” had the crowd warming up its vocal chords, ready to join in at the first word. This one turned into a chill-inducing, whole-crowd sing along. Garvey’s solo take during this song had Rob Derhak sitting back smiling with pride in his bandmates. While “Mexico” isn’t one of the big jam vehicles die-hards yearn for, as witnessed Friday night at the Palace, it is certainly a crowd-pleaser, and one that deserves a spot among the great narrative songs.
When I got into MSG around 8:15 P.M., I heard the opening notes to “AC/DC Bag,” and it seemed like the classic opener had returned to blast us off into the night, but having wrapped things up at the 
With Fishman gently brushing his drums, a balancing “Train Song” arose, bringing tears to the eyes of those chasing the soft Billy Breathes tune, a rarity these days, but a beautiful one at that. Julius reinvigorated the crowd to close the set, one that started strong and finished out the same. Fans then awaited the final of nine sets that Phish would play this run, ventured around the concourse one last time and saw friends they may not see until Summer Tour or beyond, or perhaps resting their legs and reflecting on a crazy, music-filled weekend in the 
As the lights dropped and Trey softly played the opening notes to “Tweezer”, the second set jam vehicle of legend, the audience exulted. The jam slowly built and never let up, and had some back and forth between Trey and Page for a bit, but the final two minutes of Tweezer really shone in an accelerated “What’s the Use?” jam that brought the 22 minute tour de force to a close before pouring into “Sand.” Even still, after “Tweezer”, there was no let up on this “Sand,” which garnered cheers from the “Flowing through the hourglass” line, now forever intwined with the ‘Hourglass Jam’ that rang in 2016 two nights prior.
Returning to the stage, the buzz was centered on “Fluffhead,” which hadn’t been played since August 2014. What feels like years of waiting will feel a little longer as Phish opted for a combo of “The Lizards” and “Tweezer Reprise,” one that constitutes a single “Fluffhead,” which is one part rarity (The Lizards) and one part energy builder with a huge payoff (Tweezer Reprise). There were no complaints with this set, let alone the entire show. While January 2, 2016 marked the best show of the run, with the Mayan Riviera shows coming up in a week, the bar for the year is set high with this final performance from the New Years run.
The band has been celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2015 and sound as cohesive as they ever have. A relationship this long, no matter what the scenario, is difficult to maintain at any level, yet it seems as if moe. has found new life in this trip around the sun. Onstage smiles were continuous during this run; it’s obvious that this is a band still having fun playing together.
Busting out with a rare “
Following a half-hour break, the band opened the second set with a tribute to the 
This led to the surprise of the night as Loughlin left the confines of his kit at the back of the stage to drop some mad rhymes to 
As the band members took a brief break, microphone stands were brought to the front of the stage for the encore. Schnier played his acoustic, while Garvey plucked on his electric. Amico played the tambourine and Loughlin the maraca, as Derhak, with the assistance of a lyric sheet, sang the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” with help from the crowd on such lyrics as “Home is where I want to be.” As moe.’s adopted hometown, the collaboration was a fitting end to the show capping off the band’s silver anniversary year.
The live recording of Aqueous’ 
David Loss not only handles guitar and vocal duties but also keys and synth. In listening to this release, it’s his nuances that bring out the best of the Dark Side recording but also the best of Aqueous’s original material. He seems to always know where he is in regards to complementing his fellow musicians. It’s a mind-numbing skill to have as a musician to be able to understand that sometimes less is more, or that layers are built on levels, but that in order to build a deep sound, the levels can’t all be the same.
A straightforward but near perfect “Rift” and phans were ready to put their wingsuits on. “Wingsuit” allowed both concertgoers and the band to relax if only for a few minutes. Since its release in 2014, the song has solidified itself in their repertoire, beginning with a breezy intro but making its way to an explosive display of instrumental technicality. The pressure from “Wingsuit” subsided with an easy-going “Ocelot.” McConnell the lounge singer stepped up to the mic and delighted fans with “Lawn Boy.” He introduced Gordon who took a few minutes to deliver a bluesy bass solo. “Run Like an Antelope”—an eternally pleasing song—included a scorching solo from Big Red, which hit every single note. “Antelope” returns with teases of “Stash” and “Stealing Time.”